Thursday

I’ve been a bit busy today but I had a bit of time to take some photos in the Magic Garden of my late summer flowers.

I’m quite pleased with my sunflowers - next year I’m going to plant a lot more now I’ve discovered that they do just seem to need a lot of sun.

Tuesday

Been quite busy today but did have a friend round at lunchtime who suggested the Magic Garden was looking rewilded. I’m still not sure what to make of that as comments go! Still, I did have a happy few moments watching the birds on the feeders.

My blue & long-tailed tits muck along together & have been doing so as long as I have watched

My second sunflower is coming out now - not the most impressive display but better than I’ve achieved with sunflowers before. There are still a lot of bumble bees around and they are enjoying my globe artichokes as they too are now coming more into bloom. It was good to have the washing out on the lines drying.

Monday

Another day at work & spitting with rain when I got home. The garden could do with a good soaking but the rain remains on the thin side. I harvested more tomatoes and blackberries today with more of both to come.

I took an old heuchera out from the front garden yesterday - I’m not sure which one it is but its a lovely dark leaf. I split it up into a whole set of new plantlets which will hopefully thrive now. This has worked well in the past and I plan to put two back in the from garden next spring having marked the spots where I want them to go.

Sunny Sunday

I spent a lot of today outside starting with going and picking brambles in the waggonways - looking forward now to making blackberry and apple crumbles all winter with these and the bramley apples from the garden. I then came home and worked on the front garden border, planting out the heuchera as well as a wormwood, lavender, silver thymes and a curry plant, 2 small veronicas & 2 yellow sedums. I also found a home for the Gaillardia Arizona Red I bought last week

Heuchera ‘Forever Red’ PBR

Heucherella ‘Pink Fizz’ PBR

Heucherella ‘Catching Fire’

Heucherella ‘Hopscotch’

Heuchera ‘Champagne’ PBR

Heucherella ‘Solar Eclipse’ PBR

Heucherella ‘Sweet tea’ PBR

Heuchera ‘Circus’ PBR

Saturday

It decided to pour with rain when I cam home today so I haven’t done all the things I planned to in the Magic Garden. Fortunately it seems we are to have a dry day tomorrow so I can catch up in the Magic Garden - I have the buddleia and lavatory to plant still and would like to do the last planting of heuchera in the front garden too so that the border looks better

Today’s main success was remembering to harvest the monkshood seeds.

Friday evening

Home after another longer than intended day at work, I’m already noticing its getting darker earlier.

I did a quick water of the tomatoes and cucumbers and then checked the cuttings I took earlier this week - so far so good! I have pinched some white Buddleja cuttings too on the way home from the metro but I think they were too wilted before I got them home.

Thursday

I spent some time in the front garden today and along the outside path, getting rid of the litter, leaves & generally tidying up before pruning back the holly, roses and hazel. I’m planning to plant out the last 5 heuchera this weekend in the end patch under the rowan tree.

I gave it all a good water and started on weeding the driveway too. Ben wasn’t particularly impressed with my efforts & went off to pick a fight with a neighbour’s cat.

Another Working Wednesday

I was at work today & as I have gone back to using the metro I wasn’t home until quite late but I caught the last of some sunshine & reflected how much insect life my globe artichokes support at this time of year as they open out into their electric purple flowers.

I picked a few more blackberries & blueberries too and a look at the apples with a view to picking more. The apple tree are the back continues to look very unwell and is flowering again for all its got severe leaf curl.

Wet Tuesday

Its rained here today with a reasonable amount of moisture delivered but I still grabbed a few minutes to enjoy the Magic Garden with Ben. Ben loves the back corner with all its catnip & heuchera. The bird water is always a favourite for paddling in and drinking.

The front border is also settling in well with the new heuchera looking surprisingly happy given how dry & hot its been since they were planted. The final few plants arrived today so I’ll have a happy hour or two putting them in place this weekend.

Another Warm Day

It’s been another warm and sunny day although its cooling down this evening. I have been busy with the Magic Garden today, tidying up t the back where the jasmine is already threatening to strangle some of the other things along the back fence. I also planted out the leeks and harvested the last of the broadbeans. I also picked some more blackberries and a couple of my Bramley seedling apples together with the first of the tomatoes

I planted out an Agastache Poquito Orange into the Magic Garden north quadrant to go with the Agastache Liquorice that’s already there and next to this year’s cosmos which are so prettily blooming at present.

Another day at work

It remains hot and dry here today although there was at least a breeze in the Magic Garden. I was at work all day but had a few minutes in the evening to enjoy the firsts of my sunflowers to come out and the rudbeckia scattered around the garden. There weren’t many bees this evening but this one is enjoying the garlic

Too Warm Thursday

It has been ridiculously warm here today given this is NE England by the coast - 31C in the Magic Garden at one point today. Its also of course still very dry. I wasn’t at work so largely was pottering around. As a post-physiotherapy treat, I bought some not quite dead plants including a buddleia lochinch and a Baby Barnsley lavetera. I have trimmed back the plants, generating cuttings. The buddleia looked much better afterwards. I had already taken one from the buddleia Buzz Hot Raspberry that I planted out in the front garden today.

The buddleia fits in well into the top end of the front garden colour-wise. I soaked it so it should hopefully be ok despite the weather.

Warm working Wednesday

Its warm and sunny here again. I’ve been at work, where it was nice and cool, but came home to a balmy evening, a cat who was enjoying his catnip and a garden that is just beginning to show signs of drought & heat.

The overall catnip patch is doing well but the white version is struggling to get established. I’ve decided to investigate taking cuttings from it. I’m loving the brighter colours in the Magic Garden even if they’re not always in the right places! The gazanias in the tubs were closing by the time I came in from work.

Tuesday

I had a lovely day off today with my friend dragging her down the quayside and viewing the bridges. Its hot again and I needed to water selected plants and stole a moment to photograph some bees

Monday

Busy day today as besides work I was being a patient this morning and I have a friend staying tonight.so tonight’s photos are from the 8th August 2016

Sunny Sunday too

Beautiful day here again today so was a little disappointed to have rather a lot to do which kept me out of my garden. I have been enjoying my bird visitors and they have just started on the rowan berries but are mainly interested in the feeders still

Ben slept nearly all day in the sun!

Sunny Saturday

Its been a lovely sunny if windy Saturday and pleasantly warm. I haven’t watered anything other than the tomatoes and cucumbers today but am expecting to do a full watering again tomorrow. I am enjoying the amount of flowers that are around and enjoying finding the blooms hidden away like the pretty star-like flowers of the isotoma. I’m also taking pleasure from the crocosmia that I have spread around the garden - I think it is Crocosmia x crocosmilflora Emily McKenzie

Ben is fully recovered now from his operation although he is still tending not to stray that far from me during the day and I suspect lurks where he is in easy reach of the house.

Next to the isotoma, there is a hotspur diascia. Its redness sticks out a bit but as I am not expecting it to survive more than one season it can stay where it is under the rowan tree.